books
The IN offers
a
sneak
I
Lynne Konstantin
peek
ts
always dangerous
search for
an
to
old flame you
quite got
never
Shapiro's
cent
over.
But what if you find him
and he doesn't remember
newest novel.
This is the
Shapiro's
-
you?
premise of Susan
newest
Unhooked, Five Men Who Broke
co-author of The
Bosnia List, grew up in West
Zedek in Southfield before head-
ing
to
the
big city,
where she
writes for the New York
Times,
Wall Street Journal, Los
Angeles
Times and
pointed to
Susan
an
Shapiro
will
Author Dinner
6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug.
10, at Temple Israel, West
Bloomfield. $18/includes
dinner and wine. (248)
661-5700; temple-israel.
org. She also will lead
a Secrets of Publishing
Panel 7-9 p.m. Tuesday,
Aug. 11, at Barnes & Noble,
West Bloomfield. The
event Is free; donations
benefit the scholarship
fund at Shapiro's alma
mater, the Roeper School
in Bloomfield Hills. (248)
626-6804; bn.com.
"This
was
just
on
"I didn't know you
ing in:'
City
falls for her
poetry, but
study
distinguished profes-
order-
"I didn't order this;' he said.
"So who did?" Lila leaned
box to show her the
to
arms.
were
atop, paid
by
turkey
receipt taped
"My
from the classrooms and bed-
Lila's cheeks and neck became
of Greenwich
Village,
sent
Vermont and Tel Aviv.
"I called the deli.
They
said
Although, says Shapiro, 54, the
story is really a semi -autobio-
your mother phoned in the
order. They usually don't take
graphical look at "a nice Jewish,
Midwestern girl whose Jewish
credit cards from out -of- towners,
mother sends her too much food
in New York:'
Below,
an
from What's Never Said.
excerpt
but she convinced the
-
owner
that her poor
daughter and her poet
in Yiddish!
suffering
a
hundred
.
-
friends would starve without her
"It's
past.
lip.
weight since I've been
just food:' She was defen-
sive. Or
never
was
it hurt? Damn, he
meant to hurt her
Lerner
women were
bringing out
Jewish guilt. "You don't find
his
it odd? I mean, if your mother is
so
omnipresent in your life, how
you ever going to get close to
are
a
man?"
"I've been close to lots of
guys who aren't threatened by
my mom. She's an over-feeder.
the
presses;'
Lila raised
her voice. "She grew up a poor
orphan, she lost her husband.
I write about it
She misses
enough:'
all the time. You told
already defrosted my
turkey;' he said.
feelings.
Now he felt mortified. These
Stop
most
me.
me
she's my
vivid character:'
Daniel felt
as
if Hannah Lerner
"What's wrong with having
two birds?" Lila tried, clearly not
had sprung from Lila's poems to
crash his holiday party. He liked
getting it.
her better
"I
the
hoping
cooking;' he explained.
"Okay, I'll bring Mom's to the
to
was
serve
one
I'm
crimson.
per-
passion
did this?"
here. She's worried I don't eat
own
you all this? Damn.
All the way from Wisconsin:'
spent
this:' She bit her
"But I
the credit card
She examined the bill.
mom
on
"I've lost
later, she arranges a meeting
with him, and the story bounces
rooms
must have
of Hannah Lerner.
sor, 20 years her senior. Decades
help kids
and
bucks
He went to the monster
for
when he'd
get published and
Thanksgiving meal for a dozen
people before.
"Oh, I know what happened.
I told Mom I was freaking out
about the cooking dinner part,
afraid I'd look stupid:' Lila
smiled sheepishly. "Ieez. She
the Lower
East Side:' He crossed his
reclaim
his floor.
homemade brownies, wine. But
nobody had sent him a kosher
delivered from
Ben's Kosher Deli
trying to
from your
internships, his star stu-
dents and their grateful parents
sent him gifts: a knitted scarf,
jobs
toes, challah and three fruit pies.
She looked at him confused.
from Wisconsin
to New
on
in his classes
overtaking
huge 20-pound
cooked turkey, cranberry sauce,
vegetables, stuffing, gravy, pota-
against the cabinet.
comes
Daniel
a
Washington
offering, heroine
Lila Penn, a naive 20-year-old
York
tiles
the food
his counter:
lls of
party;' Lila said qui-
etly, looking down at the parquet
led Lila to his small kitchen and
Post.
In her newest
speak at
came over,
Said. Susan
after your
Every year,
When she
In What's Never
Shapiro (left) explores the
"I guess she had it from when
she sent you that thank-you note
ing and she tells her mother:
Bloomfield and had her confir-
Congregation Shaarey
it had to be delivered
morning. If you didn't know
about it, how did she get my
name and address?"
York
to New
moves
novel, What's
(Heliotrope Books),
to be released Aug. 3. The award-
winning Manhattan professor
and New York Times bestselling
author of 10 books, including
mation at
this
for graduate school and develops
a
hopeless crush on her poetry
professor Daniel Wildman. That
all changes when he invites her to
a
Thanksgiving dinner he's throw-
Never Said
My Heart and
food, that
inno-
an
20-year-old Jewish girlfrom
Wisconsin,
at author
Susan
Set up: Lila Lerner,
Arts & Life Editor
dorm:' She put her hands in her
pockets.
He wanted her to
to take his
side,
understand,
to see
intrusive her mother
was
how
was.
She
mangling his holiday plan.
"Don't you find it bizarre that she
IN
on
not to let his
the page. He tried
day be wrecked by
the blonde Wisconsin ballabusta
he'd
never
met.
"You don't date students;'
Lila said. "So why do you care
so
much who I get close to any-
way?"
Why did he? "When do you
graduate again?" he asked her
quietly. 0
July
30
•
2015
49